Contributors

Spotlight: Featured Download

It’s amazing how quickly manufacturers abandon support for older hardware devices. This is nowhere more evident than when it comes to scanners. The gradual shift from 32- to 64-bit computing threatens to leave even more perfectly serviceable scanners in the box marked “obsolete”, but there may be a future for your old machine yet – at a cost.

VueScan works with just about every computer out there, supporting Linux, Mac and all versions of Windows up to Windows 7. More importantly, it supports 1,500 flatbed and film scanners, even if drivers are no longer available for the computer you’re running. Consequently, it enables you to dust down your trusty old scanner and continue using it despite the manufacturer’s attempts to force an upgrade.

It’s incredibly simple to use, with a neat wizard-based approach to scanning for the novice, and an Advanced button for those with a bit more experience. The results are impressive, and it’s worth considering even if your scanner is currently supported by Windows. You can output to JPEG, TIF, PDF and even access OCR-capabilities for extracting text from scanned images – English is provided by default, download other language files from here. VueScan can also output your scan directly to your printer, effectively turning your existing equipment into a serviceable photocopying machine.

The trial version is fully functional, although watermarks are placed across any scanned images, so you’ll have to buy it before you can get the most out of it. A four-computer licence costs US$40 for the Standard Edition, or US$80 for the Professional Edition.

Version 9 introduces both 32- and 64-bit builds, and promises to be faster and more responsive than previous versions. The user interface has also been revamped to make it easier to use, giving up more screen space for the scanner preview and consists of a single file, which can be copied on to USB flash drive for running as a portable application if you wish.

Version 9.5.08:

- Fixed problem with some HP LaserJet printer/scanner/copiers
- Fixed problem with Epson DS-30 on Linux
- Added support for 2400 dpi on some Brother scanners

It’s amazing how quickly manufacturers abandon support for older hardware devices. This is nowhere more evident than when it comes to scanners. The gradual shift from 32- to 64-bit computing threatens to leave even more perfectly serviceable scanners in the box marked “obsolete”, but there may be a future for your old machine yet – at a cost.

VueScan works with just about every computer out there, supporting Linux, Mac and all versions of Windows up to Windows 7. More importantly, it supports 1,500 flatbed and film scanners, even if drivers are no longer available for the computer you’re running. Consequently, it enables you to dust down your trusty old scanner and continue using it despite the manufacturer’s attempts to force an upgrade.

It’s incredibly simple to use, with a neat wizard-based approach to scanning for the novice, and an Advanced button for those with a bit more experience. The results are impressive, and it’s worth considering even if your scanner is currently supported by Windows. You can output to JPEG, TIF, PDF and even access OCR-capabilities for extracting text from scanned images – English is provided by default, download other language files from here. VueScan can also output your scan directly to your printer, effectively turning your existing equipment into a serviceable photocopying machine.

The trial version is fully functional, although watermarks are placed across any scanned images, so you’ll have to buy it before you can get the most out of it. A four-computer licence costs US$40 for the Standard Edition, or US$80 for the Professional Edition.

Version 9 introduces both 32- and 64-bit builds, and promises to be faster and more responsive than previous versions. The user interface has also been revamped to make it easier to use, giving up more screen space for the scanner preview and consists of a single file, which can be copied on to USB flash drive for running as a portable application if you wish.

Version 9.5.08:

- Fixed problem with some HP LaserJet printer/scanner/copiers
- Fixed problem with Epson DS-30 on Linux
- Added support for 2400 dpi on some Brother scanners

It's changed, but only a little, as the developer explains: "Everything is just as you remember, except some really minor stuff that nobody cared about like red coins or the Wing Cap or the Big Bob-omb. Replacing them are crowd pleasers like giant springs and coin blocks."

We would normally be concerned that this kind of project would be packed with ads, or install a pile of system-level graphics or audio components - but no.The Windows download is a reasonable 28MB, it doesn't grab anything else, and there's no installation required (just unzip and go). It's been produced as a demo project for "Super Character Controller", a game development tool, so there's no end user marketing, either, no toolbars or other junk.

On launch a Configuration dialog displays plenty of screen resolution and graphics quality options (you can also play it in a window).

The program uses keyboard controls by default, but these are fully configurable, and there's also gamepad support (the developer reports successful testing with the Xbox One, Xbox 360, and DualShock 3 and 4).

DrawPad Graphics Editor is a small and straightforward vector graphics editor.

The program includes Pencil and Paint tools (with multiple brushes), line and text options, and has the ability to draw simple shapes.

As these are all vector objects, they can be selected later and modified in various ways. At a minimum, you're able to click an object, move, resize and rotate it. But you can also adjust its border width, add a customisable drop shadow, a bevel/ emboss effect, maybe create a gradient fill.

Super Simple Highlighter is a Chrome extension which allows you to highlight key text on a web page, then attempts to restore it whenever you return.

Highlighting text is as easy as selecting it with the mouse, right-clicking and choosing your preferred colour from the extension menu (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Purple, Gray).

The highlight should be restored if you go to another page and come back later, but the developer says this varies depending on the site design. The easiest way to check is just to press F5, refreshing the page, to see if your selection "sticks". If it's all working as expected then you can highlight as many other sections as you like.

Super Simple Highlighter also adds a marker pen icon to the address bar when there's highlighted text in the current page. Selecting this displays all your chosen sections, making it easier to review them all together. You can also run a simple text search on the items, or open them in a new tab for review or saving.

An Options menu displays a list of all the pages where you've highlighted something, convenient if you'd like to return, but maybe also a privacy risk. You can remove individual pages as required, though, or wipe the full set with a click.

As hard drives have become larger than ever and computers are used for ever more tasks, the number of files the average person stores has increased exponentially. Keeping files organised into folders is one way to help ensure that you know where to find everything, but a search tool is always handy for those occasions when you just cannot remember where a particular file was stored.

While Windows includes a files search tool of its own, it pales into insignificance when compared to the power of online searches provided by the likes of Google. Find and Run Robot (FARR), is an advanced Windows search tool that closely mimics the speed and features of a web search engine.

Accessed via a keyboard shortcut, FARR is always on hand whenever you need to track down a file. Fire up the program and start typing the first few letters of your search terms - FARR will immediately start to display a list of results as you type. This is a hugely customisable program and you have the option of settings everything from which file types and folders should be included in searches to changing the appearance of results.

Your searches can be saved and cached so that repeat searches can be performed faster, but the real beauty of the application is that it can be extended through the use of plugins. There are a large number of extensions available for FARR that are completely free of charge and these can be used to add a range of features to the tools - including plugins to add browser support and much more.

With great support for keyboard shortcuts, FARR can even be used as a program launcher and is ideal for anyone who prefers to navigate their computer using the keyboard rather than the mouse.

What's new in 2.218.01?

- [Bugfix] Fixed issue with some alias icons and some launching of aliases related to a path resolution problem.

Spotlight: Free Full Software

The program makes it easy to create simple data discs and audio CDs, for instance: just drag and drop your files onto the list area and you'll be burning the finished disc in a couple of clicks.

That's just the start, though. Burning Studio 2013 can also create data discs with customised, interactive multi-page menus, perfect if you'd like a more professional way to share and present the disc contents.

A built-in backup tool allows you to create backups which may be encrypted, compressed, and span several CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays.

The focus throughout is on ease of use, though, and so Ashampoo Burning Studio 2013 remains very straightforward, whatever you're doing. Most disc projects are created via the same simple interface, and for the most part all you have to do is drag and drop the necessary files. But experts will find more advanced options are only a click away, and if you need to then you can set ISO and UDF version, enable Joliet, make a disc bootable and more.

Note the download here will take you to the Downloadcrew Software Store where you can download Burning Studio 2013.

Spotlight: Editor's Choice

As you'll guess from the name, Freemake Video Converter is able to convert videos from one format to another - but that's just the start of its capabilities.

The program imports a lengthy list of video formats, and can convert them to AVI, WMV, MP4 and 3GP formats. If you just want the file to play on a particular device, though, you can simply select one of many built-in device profiles. Choose the "to MP4" conversion option, for instance, and you can choose from presets including "iPhone, iPod Touch", "iPhone 4, iPad", "iPod Classic, Nano", "iPod 5G", "PSP", "Smartphones" and "Digital media players". Pick the option that best suits your hardware and Freemake Video Converter will prepare the file for you right away.

There's also support for ripping DVDs (unprotected only), and if you drag in a number of videos then the program will burn them to a video DVD. There's not a great deal of control over the results - you can choose text, thumbnail or motion menus, for instance, but can't view or customise them - however this does make the process very quick and easy.

If you'd prefer to share your clips with the world, though, it might be easier to put them on YouTube - and Freemake Video Converter can do that, too. Just import the relevant videos, click the To YouTube button, enter your account details and the clips will be published for you.

And other features allow you to join videos, extract the soundtrack from a movie, create photo slideshows, and more.